Sacrifice
by The Shameless BookWorm
Summary: This isn't slash. And, it's sad. Read and find out. Yes...I know that this is a crappy summary.


**Warning: Character Death, mature-ish themes. This is NOT slash. I wrote this one when I was having a bad day, so sorry in advance, it's a bit sad. I hope that you all like, despite the fact.**

**Sacrifice**

"My loyal Death Eaters," the sibilant man spoke, "Today, a select few of us will venture to the home of the Boy-Who-Lived, and we will end this war. So, those coming along will be myself, Malfoy the Elder and the Younger, Severus, Bella, and Narcissa."

The five Death Eaters nodded their heads in acquiescence. And with a pop, the group apparated to Number 4 Privet Drive. Lord Voldemort heard Severus Snape grumbling about "stupid sodding Gryffindor Potters and always needing to be come after." The Dark Lord chuckled in spite of himself. The Potions Master would never change.

"My Lord?" queried the younger Malfoy.

"What?"

"What exactly is our purpose here today, my Lord? Are we going to eliminate the threat or seduce him to this side?"

The Dark Lord raised a sardonic eyebrow. He had never considered the possibility of turning the boy against his beloved Light. However, he distinctly liked the idea that the Malfoy Heir had placed in front of him. It had the sweet ring of revenge on the old coot to it.

"I think that I like your idea of seducing him to this side. If this however proves to be fruitless, then we will eliminate the threat."

They walked to the front door where Narcissa spelled it open. They entered. Bella, as crazy as she was, marveled at the lack of protection. They had simply walked up and entered without any resistance for Merlin's sake!

Wands at the ready, the six dark witches and wizards waltzed into the residence of the Boy-Who-Lived. A picturesque living room was laid out before them. The walls were scattered with pictures, albeit unmoving which unnerved the Purebloods present, of two whales and a horse faced woman. But Potter was nowhere to be seen. It was almost as if he did not exist in this home at all.

Draco ventured away from the group in the living room towards the stairs hoping to find Potter alone in his bedroom. But when he rounded the corner to the stair case, his throat clenched immediately after releasing a startled gasp, which the others would claim sounded more like a squeak.

Draco's godfather, Severus Snape, quickly went to his godson's side while asking, "What Draco? What happ…"

He was cut short when he saw what had caused Draco's outburst in the first place. The rest of the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord entered into the foyer just in front of the staircase.

There was Harry James Potter, dearly beloved Savior of the wizarding world, and Boy-Who-Lived…hanging from the balcony. His skin was an unnatural shade of blue from asphyxiation. His once vivid emerald eyes were dim and glassy in death. Tear tracks were stained on his cheeks. A belt was wrapped around the now-dead teenager's neck and attached to the banister. Large weights were clasped to the youth's ankles in order to weigh his dangerously skinny form down. His hands were clasped around the belt in a vain attempt to remove to object from his neck, in a vain attempt to be able to breathe. As a result, bloody furrows were raked into his neck where his nails had struggled to pry the offensive object away from his neck. All in vain. It had all been in vain.

Draco looked closer at the body of his enemy. He noticed there were bruises strewn across the boy's wrists and arms. If he were to lift the young man's shirt, Draco was sure that he would find Potter's body riddled with bruises.

Lucius Malfoy ascended the stairs until he reached the area that the belt was attached. Almost reverently, he dislodged the offending piece of leather and lowered the body into the Dark Lord's waiting arms. Voldemort gently laid the body on the floor of Number 4 Privet Drive and closed the once luminescent eyes. His sense of victory, of unopposed fight, was embittered by the sacrifice that the boy had had to make. Even though he was not going to suffer the child to live if he did not join him, it would have been a quick _Avada Kedavra,_ and the boy would have known no more. But the child had been in terror. It was written across his face. He had been murdered at the hands of a family of muggles. Worthless muggles who would never comprehend that they had just brought about the end of the world as they knew it.

The six witches and wizards silently prepared the body of the Boy-Who-Lived for a proper wizard's burial. They would send the child's body to Albus Dumbledore. The child deserved to have his final rite done properly and without depravity as the Dark Lord knew he could not provide with the majority of his Death Eaters present for they would wish to desecrate the corpse of their enemy.

With a final caress, though the Dark Lord would never call it such, the Dark Lord Voldemort said, "Goodbye, Harry Potter, may you find peace wherever you are as you have not found here."

The body then disappeared with a pop to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The Dark Lord and his Death Eaters apparated back to their headquarters; after all, they had a world to claim.


End file.
